The Institute of Medicine has just released updated national recommendations for the number of pounds a woman should gain during pregnancy for optimum health to herself and her baby.  This set of revised recommendations is the first the institute has…

The US Preventive Services Task Force says the rate of depression in children between 12 and 18 years old is high enough to warrant routine screening by their primary care physicians.  The recommendation, announced in the latest issue of the…

President Barack Obama has issued the call for the medical insurance industry to produce significant reform so millions of Americans still uncovered or underinsured by the healthcare insurance industry can obtain affordable medical care and to rein in the skyrocketing…

It’s just too soon to say for sure but officials at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have evidence that suggests people 60 years old and older may have a natural immunity to the new swine flu…

Hannah Powell-Auslam says she just wants to be a ‘normal kid’ going to school, enjoying sports, and hanging out with her friends.  Unfortunately, Hannah is so unique her doctors say she’s even more rare than one in a million.

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The May 8 issue of the journal, Demography, contains the report of a study on the health of people who’ve lost their jobs.  The report says people who lose their jobs, for any reason, are at heightened risk for major…

Although concern over swine flu seems to be easing off, influenza experts say there remains a very high likelihood the flu will return when flu season begins in October.  Further concern is that the influenza virus will have mutated into…

On May 10, HBO began airing a four-part documentary series on Alzheimer’s disease.  Maria Shriver, First Lady of California and a member of the Kennedy family, is co-executive producer of “The Alzheimer’s Project.”  Her father, Sargent Shriver, 93, has been…

Young adults between the ages of 23 and 35 who have served time behind bars are more likely to develop high blood pressure and enlarged hearts than their peers who’ve never faced prison time.  According to a study just published…

Monday, May 4, marks a new beginning for 57-year-old Jeff Kepner.  He is the first person in the United States to receive a double hand transplant in just one 9-hour operation.  The Augusta, Georgia, man is said to be in…

After several years of tremendous success with its $4 generic prescription drug program, Wal-Mart teamed up with Caterpillar Co. last September to bring an expanded version of the discount drug program to the 70,000 Caterpillar employees and their dependents.  This…

Earlier today, Dr. Richard Besser announced the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is rethinking its current recommendation for closing schools when students or faculty become sick with the H1N1 influenza virus.  Besser is the acting chief of…

A study published in the latest issue of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association, says the specialty of the surgeon influences the patient’s quality of life and success rate of the treatment where implanted defibrillators are concerned.  According…

Two hospitals, College Hospitals in Cerritos and Costa Mesa, California, have agreed to pay $1.6 million to settle a lawsuit alleging them of dumping homeless psychiatric patients instead of treating and discharging them properly.  The hospitals will pay $400,000 in…